Fogarty International Center (FIC)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)

FIC plans to provide opportunities for up to four support
centers to develop and support global health research education/research
experience programs that meet the following objectives:

Provide focused mentoring for participants (post-doctorates and
doctoral students) from the U.S. and low- and middle- income countries
(LMICs) in global health research in established research sites in LMICs.

Provide educational opportunities in diverse areas of research
for participants at those research sites.

Enhance the global health research career trajectory potential
of the participants.

Strengthen global health programs at U.S. academic institutions
and help to sustain global health research at institutions in LMICs.

Strengthen global health research networks among the alumni
and mentors across institutions in the U.S. and LMICs.

Key Dates

Posted Date

August 16, 2011

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

September 14, 2011

Letter of Intent Due Date

September 14, 2011

Application Due Date(s)

October 14 , 2011

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not Applicable

Scientific Merit Review

February/March 2012

Advisory Council Review

May 2012

Earliest Start Date(s)

July 2012

Expiration Date

October 15, 2011

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in
the SF
424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in
this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH
Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both
in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants
must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as
well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific
instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the
program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with
these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) outlines an
opportunity for eligible institutions to apply to become a Fogarty Global
Health Program Support Center under the Global Health Program for Fellows and
Scholars (Global Health Fellows) Program.

Background
information: Established in 2004, the Fogarty Scholars (for
doctoral students) Program has provided early training and career opportunities
for doctoral students in the health professions from the U.S. and low- and
middle-income countries (LMICs) to participate in one-year mentored clinical
research training programs in LMICs. An expansion of the Program added
opportunities for post-doctorates from the U.S. and LMICs (Fellows Program) in
2008, and the whole program was renamed the Fogarty International Clinical Research
Training Scholars and Fellows (FICRSF) Program. The general purpose of this
program is to develop the next generation of clinical investigators, especially
with an eye toward international health research capacity building and
collaborations. The program provides mentored hands-on experience for these
potential new U.S. and LMIC investigators in LMICs, and strengthens
relationships and collaborations between U.S. and LMIC institutions,
researchers, and trainees in these countries. In addition, the program builds
research capacity in the LMICs by providing financial and technical training
support for students and newly graduated researchers in those countries. The
research training sites in LMICs have existing capacity to provide an
outstanding mentored clinical research training experience to Scholars and
Fellows in the FICRSF Program. Each site is involved in both an FIC
international research training grant and on-going NIH-funded clinical
research, has capacity for strong ethical review and oversight of clinical
research, committed interest and expertise in mentoring students, appropriate
research facilities, and suitable infrastructure arrangements for housing,
food, and transportation. The Fogarty International Center managed the Program
from the beginning until 2007 when the administration and logistics management
of the Program were transferred to a grantee as a support center of the
program. The current support center award (2007-2012) will expire in June
2012.

The
current Scholars Program: The program focuses on doctoral level
U.S. students in the health professions (e.g., medical students after 3rd year,
doctoral students who have not completed their dissertation). Twenty-five
selected sites with established NIH-funded research projects in Africa, Asia
and Latin America have participated in the program as training sites. Each site
has a US-based lead mentor and LMIC-based lead mentor. Each training site pairs
the U.S. scholar with an international scholar from that site. All scholars
stay and receive mentored clinical research training at the assigned LMIC site.

The
current Fellows Program: The program focuses on post-doctorates
(those in either post-residency clinical fellowships or in other health-related
post-doctoral programs from the US and LMICs) as a one-year mentored clinical
research training program. All fellows stay and receive mentored clinical
research training at an established NIH-funded research site in LMICs. There
are currently 37 pre-approved LMIC sites for fellows in Africa, Asia and Latin
America. The program builds on international research and research training
grants supported by FIC and collaborating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs),
which have been critically important to training scientists and health
professionals from LMICs in research and in helping them to establish careers
in their home country.

Objectives
of this FOA: Based on the success and experience from the
current FICRSF program, this FOA provides opportunities for up to four support centers
to develop and support global health research education/experience programs
that meet the following objectives:

Provide focused mentoring for participants (post-doctorates and
doctoral students from the U.S. and LMICs) in global health research at
established research sites in LMICs.

Provide 11-month research education/experience opportunities in
diverse areas of research for participants at those research sites

Enhance the global health research career trajectory potential of
the participants.

Strengthen global health research networks among the alumni and
mentors across institutions in the U.S. and LMICs.

Strengthen global health programs at U.S. academic institutions
and help to sustain global health research at institutions in LMICs.

For the operational purposes of this FOA, the following
working definition is used for "global health": “Global health is an
area for study, research and practice that places a priority on improving
health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. Global health
emphasizes transnational health issues, determinants, and solutions; involves
many disciplines within and beyond the health sciences and promotes
interdisciplinary collaboration; and is a synthesis of population-based
prevention with individual-level clinical care.” (Koplan JP, Bond TC, Merson
MH, Reddy KS, Rodriguez MH, Sewankambo NK, Wasserheit JN; Consortium of
Universities for Global Health Executive Board. Towards a common definition
of global health. Lancet. 2009 Jun 6;373(9679):1993-5.)

Support Centers for this Global Health Program for Fellows
and Scholars (Global Health Fellows) are required to provide supportive
mentorship, research opportunities and a collaborative research environment for
early stage investigators from the U.S. and LMICs to enhance their global
health research expertise and their careers. Building on the momentum of the
FICRSF Program, the Global Health Fellows awards will provide opportunities to
continue to support research capacity building and research education/experience
in priority health areas in LMICs such as communicable diseases including
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases; chronic
non-communicable diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, lung
diseases, blood diseases, metabolic diseases and mental health; maternal and
child health; women’s health; arthritis and rheumatic, musculoskeletal and skin
diseases; environmental and occupational health; trauma and burn injury,
anesthesiology, and clinical pharmacology; genetics; behavioral and social
aspects of health and illness; and cross-cutting global health research areas.

These awards may be used to strengthen existing (and in some
cases develop new) partnerships between U.S. and LMIC research institutions
that will contribute to global health research capacity building and the use of
research to improve treatment, identify preventive measures, and groom future
generations of health scientists who can ultimately improve the health outcomes
related to these areas in the applicant’s community and country (both U.S. and
LMIC).

Although not required, applicants are encouraged to form a
consortium that may include up to 4 complementary US academic/training
institutions. Benefits of consortia include a wider range of opportunities
for fellows and scholars in different research areas (e.g., non-communicable
diseases, communicable diseases, translation and implementation science,
maternal and child health, women’s health) to reflect FIC’s strategic plan (http://www.fic.nih.gov/About/Pages/Strategic-Plan.aspx).
In addition, consortia are likely to provide a wider pool of post-doctoral
candidates than just one institution and a wider pool of faculty/mentors.

Applicants are also encouraged to recruit graduates from
NIH-funded T32 post-doctoral research training grants awarded to applicant
institutions as the primary but not the exclusive pipeline from which U.S
post-doctorates will be selected for the Global Health Fellows program.
Benefits of utilizing T32 programs for potential participants include the fact
that T32 graduates have advanced scientific skills that could be applied to
global health research, they would benefit and learn from experience in an
LMIC, and would contribute research expertise to the research sites. T32
graduates also usually pursue academic research careers which would increase
the pool of U.S. faculty with global health expertise and experience in LMICs.
If it would strengthen the pool of potential participants, the applicants may include
plans to recruit post-doctorates funded by other mechanisms in the consortium.
Applicants are encouraged to include advanced doctoral students with focus on
health sciences (e.g., medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, nursing, public health,
etc.) in their consortium as potential doctoral student participants (scholars)
for Global Health Fellows.

Develop strategic partnerships with established research,
research training and research education/experience sites (preferably
long-standing NIH-funded programs) in LMICs.

Develop and implement a system for recruitment, selection
(including selection criteria for participants) and placement of participants
every year (for U.S. post-doctorates, LMIC post-doctorates, U.S. doctoral
students and LMIC doctoral students).

Develop and implement mentoring and support plans for the participants
at LMIC sites.

Propose an appropriate number of participants (post-doctorates
and doctoral students) per year within the allowable budget.

Provide at least 80% of opportunities for post-doctorates

Limit the number of post-doctorates from LMICs to 25% of
post-doctorates per year (recognizing that additional opportunities for LMIC
post-doctorates are also available through other FIC research training and research
education programs at these sites).

Propose mechanisms to recruit, select and mentor post-doctorates
as well as scholars (doctoral students) from LMICs. Participants from LMICs should
have strong potential to contribute to global health research through
strengthening collaboration among LMIC and U.S. research programs during and
after the Global Health Fellows program.

The NHLBI will support
only fellows, not scholars, with proposed research projects in cardiovascular,
chronic lung disorders, or blood diseases. The NHLBI-supported research
projects conducted by the fellows could be in clinical research, population
research, health services research, health policy research and health
economics. Basic science research applications will not be supported by NHLBI.

The Office of
Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) joins this FOA as part of its
effort to promote research on the behavioral and social aspects of health and
illness.

The OER
Glossary and the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on
these application types.

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

The FIC and Issuing IC partner components intend to commit annually
up to an estimated total of $4 million for up to 4 awards.

Award Budget

Up to $1 million per year (direct costs) per award is
available for this program, depending upon availability of funds.

Award Project Period

The total project period for an application submitted in
response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement may not exceed 5 years.

Other Award Budget Information

Personnel Costs

Individuals designing, directing, and implementing the
research education program may request salary and fringe benefits appropriate
for the person months devoted to the program. Salaries requested may not
exceed the levels commensurate with the institution's policy for similar
positions and may not exceed the congressionally mandated cap. (If mentoring
interactions and other activities with students/participants are considered a
regular part of an individual's academic duties, then any costs associated
with the mentoring and other interactions with students/participants are not
allowable costs from grant funds).

Participant Costs

Participants may be paid if specifically required for the
proposed research education program and sufficiently justified. Participant
costs must be itemized in the proposed budget.

Allowable participant costs depend on the educational level/career status of
the individuals to be selected to participate in the program.

While generally not allowable costs, with strong justification, participants
in the research education program may receive partial costs of meals unless
such costs are furnished as part of the registration fee. Participants may
also receive funds to defray partial tuition, and other education-related
expenses.

Additional guidance on participant costs:

Amount of compensation should
be based on 11 months duration at 36 hours per week for all US post-doctoral participants
and should not exceed NRSA equivalent amounts based on the education,
training and experience of the participant.

Amount of compensation for US
doctoral participants should be equivalent to the amount offered by the
Fulbright US student program.

Amount of compensation for
LMIC participants should be based on local site equivalent amount based on
the education, training and experience of the participant, and should be
decided with concurrence of lead mentors at the sites.

Applicants should plan for a
general orientation program that spans a maximum of five days for new participants
at the NIH campus in Bethesda.

Describe any other education-related costs allowed for this
research education program, such as supplies, travel to scientific meetings
and/or to and from the grantee institution, and temporary housing when
applicable.

Individuals currently supported
by NIH training and career development mechanisms (K, T, or F awards) may
receive, and indeed are encouraged to receive, educational experiences supported
by the R25 mechanism, as participants, but may not receive salary or stipend
supplementation from a research education program.

Because the R25 mechanism is not intended as a substitute for an NRSA
institutional training program (T32), costs to support full-time participants
(supported for 40 hours/week for a continuous, 12-month period) are not allowable.

Other Program-Related Expenses

Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key
persons, and other program-related expenses may be included in the proposed
budget. These expenses must be justified as specifically required by the
proposed program and must not duplicate items generally available at the
applicant institution.

Applicants are encouraged
to leverage existing administrative supports of global health programs and
T32 awards to reduce the administrative costs of this R25 grant to 20% or
less of the total grant budget.

Applicants are also encouraged to leverage
research and research training resources from collaborating partners at LMIC
sites in the proposed Global Health Fellows.

Indirect Costs

Indirect Costs (also known as Facilities &
Administrative [F&A] Costs) are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct
costs (exclusive of tuition and fees and expenditures for equipment), rather
than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement.

NIH grants policies as
described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement will apply to the
applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

EligibleOrganizations

Higher Education Institutions

Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education

Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions
are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private
Institutions of Higher Education:

Hispanic-serving Institutions

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

All Program
Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also work with their
institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their
existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the
applicant organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date.

The sponsoring institution must assure support for
the proposed program. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program
includes the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources
that can contribute to the planned program.

Institutions with existing Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Award (NRSA) institutional training grants (e.g., T32) or other Federally
funded training programs may apply for a research education grant provided that
the proposed educational experiences are distinct from those training programs
receiving NIH support. In many cases, it is anticipated that the proposed
research education program will complement ongoing research training occurring
at the applicant institution.

Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are
noteligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are noteligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Required Registrations

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations
as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply
for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following
registrations.

All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also work with
their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their
existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the
applicant organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant
organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at
least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal
Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an
application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented
racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always
encouraged to apply for NIH support.

The PD/PI should be an established investigator in the scientific area in which
the application is targeted and capable of providing both administrative and
scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed
program. The PD/PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program and
submit all documents and reports as required.

Applicants must document the attributes and capability of the support center
consortium using the following criteria:

Accredited U.S. academic institutions with established global
health programs that support research education/experience at the doctoral
level in the health sciences;

Knowledge of and interactions with postdoctoral residency and
fellowship programs in the health sciences [by the faculty of the institution(s)];

Faculty with proven track records of providing mentorship to
graduate students and post-doctorates in global health research;

Sufficient number of diverse active T32 grants for post-doctoral training programs among the proposed collaborating U.S. institutions covering a
range of research areas mentioned in the objectives of this FOA. The T32 grants
that will be participating in the Global Health Fellows program should be
listed in the application;

Ability of collaborating principal investigators with T32 awards
at the institution(s) to encourage a sufficient number of post-doctorate
applicants in diverse research areas each year;

Comprehensive communications strategies to reach the majority of
T32 post-doctoral trainees in affiliated collaborating schools in the health
sciences including schools of medicine, nursing, osteopathy, dentistry,
veterinary and public health;

Established track records in global health research training and research
education/experience for both U.S. and LMIC researchers (having at least 3
years of partnership experience in training researchers at proposed LMIC
sites);

Affiliation with a sufficient number of partner application
research sites in LMICs from either the applicant or among the partners of a
consortium across a range of communicable and non-communicable diseases that
have well documented strong track records of active NIH or other US
government/organization funded research projects and research training and research
education projects (e.g., MEPI, Centers of Excellence of NHLBI, NIAID global
research networks, international research sites of NCI, NICHD and NIMH).

Based on the experience from the
current research training program, we encourage applicants to include at least
6 research sites in each consortium to provide diverse research education
experiences (e.g., malignancy, cardiovascular diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,
malaria, metabolic diseases, women’s health, child health, vaccine-preventable
diseases, mental health, etc.) for the participants;

Expertise in coordinating meetings and organizing scientific
conferences, including travel and logistical support; and

Expertise and ability to disseminate educational materials and
knowledge in global health science and public health to participants in the research
education sites.

Proposed research education sites in LMICs must have the
following attributes:

existing capacity to provide an outstanding mentored global
health research education experience to participants in the Global Health
Fellows Program;

involvement in at least one active multi-year research training or
research education grant, on-going NIH-funded and/or other US government-funded
clinical research projects, strong ethical review and oversight of clinical
research, committed interest and expertise in mentoring students, appropriate
research facilities, and suitable infrastructure arrangements for housing,
food, and transportation;

established partnership with the applicant or at least one member
of the US consortium for at least 3 years in research or research training or research
education;

Applicants are required to have written agreements from
participating LMIC site mentors/leaders for a partnership if the grant is
awarded. Research education/experience sites in LMICs can participate in more
than one consortium if they have established collaborations with the applicant
or at least one member of the applicant consortia. Based on the need to
strengthen the Global Health Fellows Program, additional research education/experience
sites in LMICs that meet the eligibility requirements for the Program can be
included in the consortia even after the awards are made with prior approval
from FIC. Please see the sites supported under the current program (2007-12) http://www.fogartyscholars.org/fellows/sites

A leadership plan for each applicant or consortium is
required. Potential applicants who believe they are eligible to apply under
this FOA are advised to consult with FIC staff (as listed under INQUIRIES) to
verify their eligibility before submitting an application.

Only one application per institution or consortia (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) is allowed.

NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA
that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review
unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. NIH will not accept any
application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed.

Preceptors/Mentors

Researchers from diverse backgrounds, including racial and
ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and women are encouraged to
participate as preceptors/mentors. Mentors should have research expertise and
experience relevant to the proposed program. Mentors must be committed to
continue their involvement throughout the total period of the mentee’s
participation in this award.

Participants

Applications must describe the intended participants, and
the eligibility and/or specific educational background characteristics that are
essential for participation in the proposed research education program.
Identify the career levels essential for participation in the planned program.

Unless strongly justified on the basis of exceptional
relevance to NIH, research education programs should be used primarily for the
education of U.S. citizens.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application
package associated with this funding opportunity using the “Apply for Grant
Electronically” button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in
the SF424
(R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding
opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in
the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are
out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding,
and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information
that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and
plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview
Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent
that includes the following information:

The forms package associated with this FOA includes all
applicable components, mandatory and optional. Please note that some
components marked optional in the application package are required for
submission of applications for this FOA. Follow the instructions in the SF 424
(R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate “optional”
components.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 (R&R)
Application Guide and the Table of
Page Limits must be followed.

SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information Component

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R)
Application Guide with the following modifications:

Facilities & Other
Resources

Describe the educational environment, including the
facilities, laboratories, participating departments, computer services, and any
other resources to be used in the development and implementation of the
proposed program. List all thematically related sources of support for research
education/experience following the format for Current and Pending Support.

Advisory Committee (Uploaded
via the Other Attachments section)

A plan must be provided for the appointment of an Advisory
Committee to monitor progress. Composition, responsibilities, frequency of
meetings, and other relevant information should be included. Describe the
composition of the Advisory Committee, identifying the role and the desired
expertise of members. A plan for Advisory Committee approval and selection of participants
should be included. Describe how the Advisory Committee will function in
providing oversight of the development, implementation, and evaluation of
recruitment strategies, the recruitment and retention of candidates, and the
evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the program. Note that Advisory
Committee members should not be named in the application, particularly if they
include individuals from outside the institution.

The Advisory Committee, made up of at least six
members, shall be comprised of representatives from institutions that are
awardees of FIC or other compatible U.S. Government (USG) research training and
research education grants. The Advisory Committee will have virtual meetings as
needed and one face-to-face meeting per year as needed.

Creation of an
advisory panel of participants to provide perspective from their experiences
for future program development is required.

The
filename provided for each “Other Attachment” will be the name used for the
bookmark in the electronic application in eRA Commons.

R&R Budget Component

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R)
Application Guide with the following modifications:

Include all personnel other than the
PD/PI(s) in the Other Personnel section, including clerical and administrative
staff.

PHS 398 Research Plan Component

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide
must be followed, with the additional instructions described below:

The Research Strategy section must be used to upload
the Research Education
Program Plan, which must include the following components
described below: Proposed Research Education Program, Institutional Environment
and Commitment, Program Director/Principal Investigator, Program Faculty/Staff,
Program Participants, Diversity Recruitment and Retention Plan, Plan for
Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research, Evaluation Plan..

Proposed Research Education
Program (Component of Research Education Program Plan)

While the proposed research education program may
complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant
institution, the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those
research training and research education programs currently receiving federal
support. When research education programs are on-going in the same department,
the applicant organization should clearly describe the distinction between the
intended participants in the proposed research education program and the existing
research education supported by the other programs. The information should
include a description of the education and/or career levels of the planned
participants. In addition, the following plans and activities are required to
be included in the application:

A detailed plan for recruitment,
selection and training for Year 1. This information is needed to assess the
applicant’s capability to begin the training class no later than September 2012
if the award is made in July 2012 or earlier.

Application for innovative
mechanisms to reduce cost without compromising the quality and principles of
selection, education, and mentoring of the participants (e.g., by building on
existing administrative structure for global health programs and T32 awards at
collaborating applicant institutions and by leveraging resources from research
and research training awards involving LMIC sites associated with the proposed
program).

The research education plan
should cover a period of five years and indicate how the capacity to engage
U.S. and LMIC participants in global health research will be strengthened
significantly in this time period.

Institutional Environment and
Commitment (Component of Research Education Program Plan)

Describe the institutional environment, reiterating
the availability of facilities and educational resources (described separately
under “Facilities & Other Resources”), that can contribute to the planned
Research Education Program. Evidence of institutional commitment to the
research educational program is required. A letter of institutional commitment
must be attached as part of Letters of Support. Appropriate institutional
commitment should include the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and
educational resources that can contribute to the planned research education
program.

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Component of
Research Education Program Plan)

Describe arrangements for administration of the
program, provide evidence that the Program Director is actively engaged in
research and/or teaching in an area related to the mission of NIH, and can
organize, administer, monitor, and evaluate the research education program, as
well as evidence of institutional and community commitment and support for the
proposed program.

Program Faculty/Staff (Component of Research Education
Program Plan)

Describe the characteristics and responsibilities of
the participating faculty; provide evidence that the participating faculty and
preceptors are actively engaged in research or other scholarly activities
related to the mission of NIH.

Program Participants
(Component of Research Education Program Plan)

Where the proposed program involves participants, provide
details about the pool of expected participants, their qualifications,
recruitment strategies and sources of applicant pool, etc.

Diversity Recruitment and
Retention Plan (Component of Research Education Program Plan)

The NIH recognizes a unique and compelling need to
promote diversity among U.S. citizens and permanent residents in the
biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences research workforce. The
NIH expects efforts to diversify the workforce to lead to the recruitment of
the most talented researchers from all groups; to improve the quality of the
educational and training environment; to balance and broaden the perspective in
setting research priorities; to improve the ability to recruit subjects from
diverse backgrounds into clinical research protocols; and to improve the
Nation's capacity to address and eliminate health disparities.

Accordingly, the NIH continues to encourage institutions to diversify their
student and faculty populations and thus to increase the participation of
individuals currently underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral,
and social sciences such as: individuals from underrepresented racial and
ethnic groups; individuals with disabilities; and individuals from socially,
culturally, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds that have
inhibited their ability to pursue a career in health-related research.
Institutions are encouraged to identify candidates who will increase diversity
on a national or institutional basis.

The NIH is particularly interested in encouraging the recruitment and retention
of the following classes of participants:

A. Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that
have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in
health-related sciences on a national basis (see the report Women,
Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, 2007,
p. 262). The following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be
underrepresented in biomedical research: African Americans, Hispanic Americas,
Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Hawaiian Natives, and natives of the US
Pacific Islands. In addition, it is recognized that underrepresentation can
vary from setting to setting; individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can
be convincingly demonstrated to be underrepresented by the grantee institution
should be encouraged to participate in this program.

B. Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as
those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or
more major life activities.

C. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who are
defined as:

1. Individuals who come from a
family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These
thresholds are based on family size; published by the U.S. Bureau of the
Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted
by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary
periodically publishes these income levels at
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml. For individuals from low income
backgrounds, the institution must be able to demonstrate that such participants
have qualified for Federal disadvantaged assistance or they have received any
of the following student loans: Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL), Loans
for Disadvantaged Student Program, or they have received scholarships from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Scholarship for
Individuals with Exceptional Financial Need.

2. Individuals who come from a
social, cultural, or educational environment such as that found in certain
rural or inner-city environments that have demonstrably and recently directly
inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities
necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

Recruitment and retention plans related to a
disadvantaged background (C1 and C2) are most applicable to high school and
perhaps to undergraduate candidates, but would be more difficult to justify for
individuals beyond that level of academic achievement. Under extraordinary
circumstances the PHS may, at its discretion, consider an individual beyond the
undergraduate level to be from a disadvantaged background. Such decisions will
be made on a case-by-case basis, based on appropriate documentation.

New applications must include a description of
plans to enhance recruitment of a diverse participant pool and may wish to
include data in support of past accomplishments.

Applications lacking a diversity recruitment and
retention plan may be delayed or not accepted for review. An award cannot be
made if an application lacks this component.

Plan for Instruction in the
Responsible Conduct of Research (Component of Research Education Program Plan)

Every participant supported by this Research
Education grant must receive instruction in the responsible conduct of
research. All applications must include a plan to provide such instruction. The
plan must address five components (format; subject matter; faculty
participation; duration of instruction; and frequency of instruction) as
detailed in NOT-OD-10-019.

Applications lacking a plan for instruction in responsible conduct of research may
be delayed or not accepted for review. An award cannot be made if an
application lacks this component. The background, rationale and more detail
about instruction in the responsible conduct of research can be found in NOT-OD-10-019.
If such instruction is not appropriate for the proposed research education
program, then the PD/PI must provide a strong justification for its exclusion.

Evaluation Plan (Component of Research Education
Program Plan)

A plan must be provided for program evaluation.
Benchmarks should be specified, and specific plans and procedures must be
described to capture, analyze and report short or long-term outcome measures
that would determine the success of the research education program in achieving
its objectives. Where appropriate, applicants are encouraged to include plans
to obtain feedback from participants to help identify weaknesses and to provide
suggestions for program improvements.

Resource Sharing Plans

Individuals
are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing
Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association
Studies; GWAS) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the
following modifications:

Applications are expected to include a software dissemination plan if
support for development, maintenance, or enhancement of software is requested
in the application. There is no prescribed single license for software
produced. However, the software dissemination plan should address, as
appropriate, the following goals:

Software source code should be freely available to biomedical
researchers and educators in the non-profit sector, such as institutions of
education, research institutions, and government laboratories. Users should be
permitted to modify the code and share their modifications with others.

The terms of software availability should permit the
commercialization of enhanced or customized versions of the software, or
incorporation of the software or pieces of it into other software packages.

To preserve utility to the community, the software should be transferable
such that another individual or team can continue development in the event that
the original investigators are unwilling or unable to do so.

Appendix

Do not use the appendix to circumvent page limits.
Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R)
Application Guide.

3. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in
advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application
corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants
across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission
process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants
administration.

Applicants are
responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate
and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission
are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission
process, visit Applying
Electronically.

Important
reminders:All PD/PIs must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential
fieldof the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF 424(R&R) Application
Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI
Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an
electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the
application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA
Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional
information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for
completeness by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations,
NIH. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be
reviewed.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for
post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.

Section
V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered
in the review process. As part of the NIH mission,
all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral
research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer
review system.

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to
reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a
sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in
consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria
(as applicable for the project proposed).

Scored Review Criteria

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in
the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An
application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to
have major scientific impact.

Significance

Does the proposed research education program address
an important problem or critical question in research education or other
critical issues? How will implementation of the proposed program advance the
objectives of the Global Health Fellows program? Does the Global Health Fellows application address an important problem or a critical barrier to
progress in the field? If the aims of the Global Health Fellows application lare achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice
be improved? What is the likelihood of the overall project to adhere to the
goals of this funding opportunity announcement? Does the proposed five-year
strategic plan of the support center applicant meet the objectives of the Global
Health Fellows? Will the mentoring plan improve the research
education/experience as well as career trajectory aspect of the participants
and alumni (both U.S. and LMIC)? Is
the proposed program of research education/experience likely to ensure that participants
will be prepared for successful and productive global health research careers?

Investigator(s)

Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers
appropriately trained and well suited to the proposed research education
program? Is the PD/PI an established investigator in the scientific area in
which the application is targeted and capable of providing both administrative
and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed
research education program? If Early Stage Investigator or New Investigator,
or in the early stages of an independent career, does the PD/PI have
appropriate experience to lead the program? If the project is collaborative or
multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise;
are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure
appropriate for the project? Is there evidence that an appropriate level of
effort will be devoted by the program leadership to ensure the program's
objectives? Does the applicant (consortium) have a sufficient number of
diverse T32 postdoctoral training programs as mentioned in the eligibility?
Does the applicant have an appropriate mentoring plan for the participants?
Does the applicant include diverse and strong mentors from U.S. and LMICs? Does
the applicant include appropriate mentors from LMIC research education/experience
sites who will provide mentorship for both U.S. and LMIC participants? Does the
research education/experience plan address the collaborating roles of the
U.S.-based and LMIC-based mentors? Would the proposed mentoring plan enhance
global health research career trajectory potential of the participants? Does the PD/PI have the scientific
background, expertise, and experience to provide strong leadership, direction,
management, and administration to the proposed research education/experience
program? Does the PD/PI plan to commit sufficient time to the program to ensure
its success? Do the preceptors/mentors have strong records as researchers,
including successful competition for research support in areas directly related
to the proposed research education/experience program? Do the
preceptors/mentors have strong records of educating pre- and/or
post-doctorates?

Innovation

Is the proposed research education
program characterized by innovation and scholarship? Does the proposed program
challenge and seek to shift current research education paradigms or clinical
practice; address an innovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in
the field? Are the proposed concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or
technologies novel for this area? Does this proposed program duplicate, or
overlap with, existing research education, training and/or career development
activities currently supported at the applicant institution or available
elsewhere? Adaptations of existing research education programs may be
considered innovative under special circumstances, e.g., the addition of unique
components and/or an application to determine portability of an existing
program? Does the application address the
recruitment, selection and education/experience plans in innovative ways to
maximize diversity of areas of research education as well as among U.S. citizen
and permanent resident participants? Does the application address collaboration
with research education/experience sites in LMICs? Does it do so using
innovative approaches to meet the objectives of Global Health Fellows? Do the courses, where relevant, and research
education experiences of the support center applicant address state-of-the-art
science relevant to the aims of the program? Does the program provide education
in inter- or multi-disciplinary research and/or in state-of-the-art or novel
methodologies and techniques?

Approach

Are the overall
strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish
the specific aims of the proposed research education program? Are
potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success
presented? If the program is in the early stages of development, will the
strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be
managed? If called for, is the proposed plan for evaluation and/or
dissemination of the education program sound and likely to provide data on the
effectiveness of the education program? Is there evidence that the
program is based on sound research concepts and educational principles?
Is the approach feasible and appropriate to achieve the stated research
education goals? If the proposed program will recruit participants, are
the recruitment, retention, and follow-up activities adequate to ensure a
highly qualified and diverse participant pool? Is the institutional research support development plan, including plans for enhancing institutional
capacity to support global health and individual participants, and career
development plans sufficient to enhance one another in achieving overall
objectives? Does the applicant include a plan for participant selection and, if
so, are the function and membership of a participant advisory selection
committee appropriate to support the identification of training needs,
programs, and appropriate participants? Are sufficient numbers of experienced preceptors/mentors with
appropriate expertise and funding available to support the number and level of participants
proposed in the application? Is a recruitment plan proposed with strategies to
attract high quality participants? Are there well-defined and justified
selection criteria and strategies? Is a competitive applicant pool in sufficient
numbers to warrant the proposed size and levels (doctoral and post-doctoral) of
the training program in evidence? Will the participants be provided
sufficient opportunities for global health research experiences during the
training? Will the core competencies for the participants in the research
education plan reflect the objectives of the Global Health Fellows? Will the
PDs/PIs provide leadership in this training program? Will the training program
leadership communicate with the FIC/NIH to reflect the objectives of the Global
Health Fellows? Does the program have a rigorous evaluation plan to
assess the quality and effectiveness of the training? Is the proposed monitoring and evaluation plan appropriate
and timely for the program? Are effective mechanisms in place for obtaining feedback from current
and former participants and monitoring participants’ subsequent career
development? Does the applicant include the detailed plan of
recruitment, selection and training for Year 1? Is the recruitment and
selection strategy for Year 1 appropriate to start the Year 1 training class by
September 2012?

If the program involves clinical research, are
the plans for 1) protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2)
inclusion of minorities and members of both sexes/genders, as well as the
inclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research
strategy proposed?

Environment

Will the scientific/educational environment in which
the proposed research education program will be conducted contribute to the
probability of success? Are the institutional commitment and support,
equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate
for the program proposed? Will the program benefit from unique features
of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative
arrangements? Is there evidence of appropriate collaboration among participating
programs, departments, and institutions? If multiple sites are
participating, is this adequately justified in terms of the research education
experiences provided? Are adequate plans provided for coordination and
communication between multiple sites (if appropriate)? Is a significant level of institutional commitment to
the program evident? Is sufficient administrative and research education/experience
support provided for the program? Are the research facilities and research
environment conducive to preparing participants for successful careers in
global health research? Do the objectives, design and direction of the proposed
research education/experience program ensure effective training? Is the
proposed consortium constructed to complement the institutions’/partners’
strengths? Is the proposed partnership between the applicant and selected
partner(s) appropriate for the objectives of the Global Health Fellows program?
Does the applicant identify and plan to take advantage of other resources at
their institution or in proposed LMIC research sites/countries? Does the
application take advantage of experience and inputs from the alumni and mentors
of the current Fogarty International Clinical Research Education/Experience for
Scholars and Fellows Program in the U.S. and LMICs? [NOTE: Contact information
and background of the alumni and the mentors of the current Fogarty
International Clinical Research Training for Scholars and Fellows Program is
available on www.fogartyscholars.org website]

Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will
evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and
technical merit, and in providing an overall impact/priority score, but will
not give separate scores for these items.

Protections for Human Subjects

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any
concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any
concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Vertebrate Animals

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any
concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Biohazards

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any
concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Resubmissions

Not Applicable

Renewals

Not Applicable

Revisions

Not Applicable

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will
consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items,
and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.

Recruitment & Retention Plan to Enhance Diversity

Peer reviewers will separately evaluate the
recruitment and retention plan to enhance diversity after the overall score has
been determined. Reviewers will examine the strategies to be used in the
recruitment and retention of individuals from underrepresented groups. The
review panel’s evaluation will be included in an administrative note in the
summary statement.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Taking into account the specific characteristics of
the research education program, level of participant experience, and the
particular circumstances of the participants, the reviewers will address the
following questions. Does the plan satisfactorily address the format of
instruction, e.g. lectures and/or real-time discussion groups? Do plans
include a sufficiently broad selection of subject matter, such as conflict of
interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use,
laboratory safety? Do the plans adequately describe how faculty will
participate in the instruction? Do the plans ensure participants will receive
instruction (or in the case of more senior level participants, provide
instruction) for an appropriate amount of time given the length of the research
education experience? Plans and past record will be rated as ACCEPTABLE or UNACCEPTABLE, and the summary statement will provide the consensus of
the review committee.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Not Applicable.

Select Agent Research

Reviewers will assess the information provided in
this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in
the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select
Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor
possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate
biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the
requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to
the proposed research.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical
merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) the Center for Scentific Review (CSR), in accordance with NIH peer
review policy and procedures, using the stated review
criteria. Review assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

May undergo a selection process in which only those applications
deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top
half of applications under review), will be discussed and assigned an overall impact/priority
score.

Will receive a written critique.

Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH
Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all
other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of
review by the Fogarty International Center Advisory Board and by the Advisory
Councils of co-funding NIH ICs. The following will be considered in making
funding decisions:

Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as
determined by scientific peer review.

Availability of funds.

Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

Interests of co-funding partners.

Geographic and program balance in proposed LMIC sites/countries.

Applicants’ collaboration with other USG partners in global
health (e.g. USAID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of
Defense, Department of State and others).

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the
PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique)
via the eRA
Commons.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided
to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by
the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via
email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection
of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any
costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These
costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

In carrying out its stewardship of human resource-related
programs, the NIH may request information essential to an assessment of the
effectiveness of this program. Accordingly, participants are hereby notified
that they may be contacted after the completion of this award for periodic
updates on various aspects of their employment history, publications, support
from research grants or contracts, honors and awards, professional activities,
and other information helpful in evaluating the impact of the program.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of
2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants
to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation
under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of
applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to
the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants
Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

Failure by the grantee institution to submit required forms
in a timely, complete, and accurate manner may result in an expenditure
disallowance or a delay in any continuation funding for the award.

Other Reporting Requirements

Support Centers are required to provide information on
participants through a system to be specified in the Notice of Award, as well
as a summary report on activities and accomplishments of each of the participants
at the end of the training year.

Progress reports are due annually two months prior to the next
yearly non-competing annual cycle.

A final progress report, invention statement,
and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for
closeout of an award as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section
VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity
and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241, 284 and (287
(b)) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.